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This study looks at the potential benefits of combining cognitive training (mental exercises) together with transcranial magnetic stimulation (also known as TMS) to see if this can make a difference in the condition of people with Alzheimer's disease by improving their disease and the cognitive decline that goes along with it.

Assessment to measure the severity of all of the most important symptoms of Alzheimer's disease: loss of memory, language, praxis, and attention. The total scoring range is 0-70, with 0 representing the least impairment and 70 the most severe impairment. The results posted below represent a change in score from baseline. A positive change represents an improvement on the ADAS-Cog (change = 1 month score - baseline score).

The CGI is a three-item scale used to assess treatment response in psychiatric patients. The CGI-C subset measures the global improvement or change from baseline. Scores range from 0 to 7, with 0 indicating marked improvement and 7 indicating marked worsening. The scores below represent the percent change of the scores from baseline.

23 item scale to assess activities of daily living. Scores range from 0 to 78 with a higher score indicating less functional impairment. The scores reported below are the means of the actual scores from the assessments representing the percent change from baseline.

High frequency rTMS stimulation to the left and right parietal cortex (somatosensory association cortex), left and right DLPFC (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and left superior temporal gyrus (Broca's area) paired with concurrent active cognitive training.

Device: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)

Each subject will receive up to 1800 pulses of up to 20Hz per day to all simulated brain regions together. Treated brain areas will be alternated each day (only 3 a day).

Sham participants will receive the same study procedures as patients receiving active rTMS.

Other Names:

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation

Behavioral: NICE Cognitive Training

12 levels of difficulty in tasks designed to relate to the region of the brain being stimulated (left and right parietal cortex, left and right DLPFC, left superior temporal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus).

A particular cognitive exercise will start 200msec after the termination of each TMS train.

Sham participants receive sham cognitive training that follows the same procedures as the active group.

Other Names:

Cognitive Training

Mental exercises

Sham Comparator: Sham rTMS with real cognitive training

High frequency sham rTMS to the left and right parietal cortex (somatosensory association cortex), left and right DLPFC (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and left superior temporal gyrus (Broca's area) paired with concurrent active cognitive training.

Device: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)

Each subject will receive up to 1800 pulses of up to 20Hz per day to all simulated brain regions together. Treated brain areas will be alternated each day (only 3 a day).

Sham participants will receive the same study procedures as patients receiving active rTMS.

Other Names:

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation

Behavioral: NICE Cognitive Training

12 levels of difficulty in tasks designed to relate to the region of the brain being stimulated (left and right parietal cortex, left and right DLPFC, left superior temporal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus).

A particular cognitive exercise will start 200msec after the termination of each TMS train.

Sham participants receive sham cognitive training that follows the same procedures as the active group.

Other Names:

Cognitive Training

Mental exercises

Sham Comparator: Sham rTMS with sham cognitive training

High frequency sham rTMS to the left and right parietal cortex (somatosensory association cortex), left and right DLPFC (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and left superior temporal gyrus (Broca's area) paired with concurrent sham cognitive training.

Device: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)

Each subject will receive up to 1800 pulses of up to 20Hz per day to all simulated brain regions together. Treated brain areas will be alternated each day (only 3 a day).

Sham participants will receive the same study procedures as patients receiving active rTMS.

Other Names:

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation

Behavioral: NICE Cognitive Training

12 levels of difficulty in tasks designed to relate to the region of the brain being stimulated (left and right parietal cortex, left and right DLPFC, left superior temporal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus).

A particular cognitive exercise will start 200msec after the termination of each TMS train.

Sham participants receive sham cognitive training that follows the same procedures as the active group.

Other Names:

Cognitive Training

Mental exercises

Detailed Description:

This study takes place in Boston, Massachusetts and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The treatment portion of the study requires patients to visit the BIDMC daily, Monday through Friday, for 6 weeks. All participants will receive real cognitive training, but half of our participants will receive active TMS treatment and half will receive a placebo TMS treatment. However, those receiving the placebo treatment will be offered the real treatment upon the completion of the study. This study goes up to approximately 4.5 months.

TMS is a noninvasive way of stimulating the brain, which is not painful and does not involve any needles or any form of surgery. It acts by delivering a magnetic stimulation to a particular region of your brain and that, coupled with the cognitive training, is what is being looked at in this study. The investigators are examining if this combination of TMS and cognitive training will improve your memory function and other mental functions such as language, orientation, and thinking or judgment.

Eligibility

Information from the National Library of Medicine

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.

Ages Eligible for Study:

55 Years to 90 Years (Adult, Senior)

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Male or female age 55-90

Diagnosed with mild to moderate AD according to DSM-IV criteria

Diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer's type according to the criteria established by the NINCDS-ADRDA

Normal or corrected normal ability to see and hear

Primary language is English

Exclusion Criteria:

IQ below 85

Any major structural abnormalities on MRI (eg. Infarction, intracerebral malformation)